Attachment for mandolins or similar instruments.



PATENTED APR. 14, 1903.

J. M. TIMMONS.

ATTACHMENT FOR MANDOLINS OR SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS. APPLICATION FILED AUG. '1. 1902.

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0 0 4 o o ui l I INVENTOR yyfsfijdky 7 BY Jaye/WT 7277727720) ATTORNEYS No. 725,177. PATENTED APR. 14, 1903.

J. M. TIMMONS. 7 ATTACHMENT FOR MANDOLINS 0R SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 7, 1902.

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By a p fi/fimf lww v f ATTORNEYS rm: mums PtTzns ca. PNQTO-uTNO" msumm'ou, u c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH M.TIMMONS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ATTACHMENT FOR MANDOLINS OR SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 725,177, dated April 14, 1903.

Application filed August 7, 1902.

T aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JosEPH M. TIMMONSJL citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Mandolins or Similar Instruments, of which the following is a full and completespecificaject being to accomplish this result on each or all of the strings or sets of strings at will, as well as to regulate the volume or power of the souudsthus produced.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a mandolin provided with my attachment; Fig. 2, a side view of the same, my attachment thereon being shown in section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a plan view of part of my attachment, the cover thereof being removed, and Fig. 4, a rear end view of the device as shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a diagrammatic view showing the push-buttons, the electromagnets, the battery, and the electrical connections, one of said magnets being shownin detail, said view also showing in section a top plate which I employ.

In the drawings forming part of this specification I have shown at a an ordinary mandolin provided with the usual sets of strings a a a and of, one end of said strings being secured to the usual plate ct and the other end thereof being secured to posts a said strings passing over and being held in their relative position on a bridge a in the usual manner.

My attachment for mandolins and similar instruments-is of the following construction: Across the sounding-board of the mandolin ct and preferably at its rear or lower end is a base-plate b, composed of wood or other suitable material, and said plate conforms to the s mi Ito-118.710. (No model.)

and by. means of the recess 17 through which pass the lower ends of the strings a a a, and of, neither the base-plate b-nor the block b interfere with the vibration of said strings. H

.Slidably secured to the upper face of the base-plate b and near the outer edges thereof are plates I), held in position by screws b and provided with downwardly directed hook portions 19 adapted to engage a flange on the mandolin a, and by means of this construction'the base-plate b and parts secured thereto are firmly held in position on the mandolin a. Secured to the rear end of the base plate I) and block b is a plate 0, the length of which is preferably slightly greater than the thickness of the block Zfiand said plate 0 is provided with a plurality of notches or recesses 0 which pass over and rest upon posts 0 secured to the plate a, and this plate 0 acts as a support to the plate b and block b and prevents lateral motion thereof on the mandolin a. Secured to the plate I) and centrally thereof is a box d, open at its front and rear ends and provided with sides 01 a detachable top plate (Z and a partition-plate d said partition-plate being pivoted at d to the sides cl of the box d, and the free end of said partition-plate d rests on springs d firmly held in blocks 61 which are secured to the sides d of the box 61, and passing through a slot (i in one of the sides 01 is a pin 01", secured to thepartition-plate d, the object of which is to raise or lower said partition-plate d at will. Passing through and secured in the top-plate d of the box cl are a plurality of laterally-arranged electrical push-buttons 6, e e and e, which are equal in number to the strings or sets of strings of the mandolin or other instrument Ct, and secured to the partition-plate d and beneath saidpush-buttons are a plurality of electromagnets or buzzers f, f f and f equaling in number the push-buttons 6, e 6 and e, and said pushbuttons and electromagnets or buzzers are of the ordinary construction with the exception that the arms g, g g and 9 of the electromagnets f, f f and f are preferably longer than usual, and the said arms are curved near their outer ends and extend downwardly a predetermined distance, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and the lower ends of these down wardly-projected members of the arms g, g g and g normally rest between and slightly below the upper side of the wires of the sets a 0. a and a respectively. Connecting the push-buttons e, 2 e and e with the electromagnetsfif ,f and f are Wires h, 72 h and h, and connected with the other poles of the push-buttons 6, e c and e are wires t', 21 2' and 1, which are connected with a wire and the wire i is in connection with one pole of a battery i and in connection with the other poles of the electromagnets f, f f and f are wires it, 10 10 and Z0 which are connected with a wire 7.4 and the wire 10 is connected with the other pole of the battery 71 and, as will be readily seen, the pushbuttons e, 6 c and e and electromagnetsf,

f f and f are in electrical connection with the battery 2' When it is desired to perform on the mandolin a, said mandolin is held in the usual manner, the fingers of the left hand operating on the fret-board m; but the fingers of the right hand rest on the push-buttons 6, e e and c and when either of these buttons is forced inwardly an electrical connection is made between the battery 4] and that one of the electromagnets corresponding with the button pushed, as will be readily understood, and the said electromagnet and the arm secured thereto are thereby actuated.

Suppose the push-button e be forced downwardly. The electrical connection of the wires h and t' is thereby made, and the wires i, 2' It, and h and electromagnet f are thereby in electrical connection, and the magnetfand arm 9 are actuated, and the end of the arm 9 strikes the two wires of the set a and the action of the arm 9 over the wires a is very rapid, and the desired tremolo is thereby produced, and this operation may be repeated on any or all of the strings a a a", and a by means of the buttons 6, e c and e and electromagnets f, f ,f and f and wires connecting the same, respectively, and any air or tune may thus be produced by the manipulation of the strings a a a and d on the fret-board m and of the push-buttons e, 6 e and e, and by forcing the finger or pin d downwardly the partition-plate d is forced down and carries with it the electromagnets f, f f and f and the arms g, g g and g are thus depressed, and the ends of said arms strike more fully on the strings a a a and a and a louder tone is produced, and by manipulating the finger or pin 61 the volume or power of the sound produced may thus be regulated.

Although I have shown four sets of strings and corresponding push-buttons, electromagnets, and connecting-wires, it will be readily understood that as many of such sets of strings, push-buttons, and electromagnets as may be desired may be used, and various other changes in and modifications of the apparatus herein described may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An attachment for mandolins, or other similar stringed instruments, comprising a base-plate detachably secured to said mandolin or other stringed instrument, a box open at its two ends and mounted on said baseplate, a partition-plate pivotally secured within said box, a plurality of push-buttons secured in the tops of said box, a corresponding number of electromagnets mounted on said partition-plate and in electrical connection with said push-buttons, curved arms connect ed with said electromagnets and adapted to be operated thereby and also adapted to operate on the strings of said mandolin or other similar instrument, and means for energizing said electromagnets,substantially as shown and described.

2. In an attachment for mandolins or other stringed instruments, a base plate, a box mounted thereon, a plurality of electromagnets mounted in said box corresponding to the number of strings or sets of strings of said musical instrument, a corresponding number of push-buttons mounted on said box each of which is in electrical connection with one of said electromagnets, a battery in electrical connection with all of said electromagnets and push-buttons, a curved arm connected with each of said electromagnets adapted to be operated thereby, and adapted to operate on the corresponding string or set of strings of said mandolin or other stringed instrument, and means for regulating the volume or power of sound produced from said mandolin or other similar instrument, substantially as shown and described.

3. In an attachment for mandolins or other similar instruments of the class described, a base-plate detachably secured to said musical instrument, a box mounted thereon, a partition-plate pivoted within said box, springs mounted under said partition plate and adapted to operate thereon a plurality of electromagnets mounted on said partition-plate, arms mounted in each of said electromagnets and adapted to be operated thereby and adapted to operate on the strings of said musical instrument, a finger passing through said box and seen red to said partition-plate and adapted to force said partition-plate electromagnets and arms connected therewith downwardly, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 19th day of July, 1902;

JOSEPH M. TIMMONS.

Witnesses:

F. A. STEWART, O. E. MULREANY. 

